1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grip handle type door handle apparatus used for opening and closing a door.
2. Description of the Related Art
A grip handle type door handle apparatus is conventionally widely used for opening and closing a door of a vehicle from outside. A conventional door handle apparatus of this kind generally includes a base member fixed to an inner surface of a door panel, a grip member which is disposed on an outer surface side of the door panel and whose one end is rotatably supported by a support pin of the base member, an escutcheon which is disposed close to the other end of the grip member and which is disposed on an outer surface side of the door panel, and a key cylinder unit whose outer periphery is covered with the escutcheon and which is fixed to the base member.
The grip member is provided at its other end with a retention arm. The retention arm is inserted into an inner surface of the door panel through a hole of the door panel. A lock unit of a door lock mechanism is detachably attached to the retention arm inserted into the inner surface of the door panel. The door lock mechanism locks a door in a vehicle body in a lock position of the lock unit, and release the locked state of the door from the vehicle body in a lock-release position of the look unit. The door lock mechanism is moved between the lock position and the lock-release position by a radio communication key unit and the key cylinder unit.
In the above configuration, when the lock unit is located in the lock position, even if an operator grips the grip member and rotates the grip member outward, since the lock unit is engaged with the lock position, the grip member is not rotated and the door cannot be opened.
On the other hand, when the lock unit is in the lock position, if the key is verified and authenticated by radio communication or the key cylinder unit is operated with a mechanical key, the lock unit is moved to the lock-release position. If the operator grips the grip member and rotates the same outward, Its rotation force rotates the grip member outward and the door can be opened.
In the conventional door handle apparatus, opposed surfaces of the grip member and the escutcheon are flat surfaces and they are disposed at a predetermined gap from each other in some cases. That is, since the other end of the grip member is moved by rotational operation, the grip member and the escutcheon are disposed close to each other through the predetermined gap from each other while taking assembling error and the like into consideration so that the grip member does not interfere with the escutcheon when the grip member is rotated. Thus, there is an adverse possibility that water enter a vehicle body from the gap between the grip member and the escutcheon at the time of car wash, and the water abruptly enters inside from a hole of the door panel. If water enters the inside of the door panel, inside parts of the door panel may be subject to corrosion.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a door handle apparatus which prevents water from entering a door panel from a gap between a grip member and an escutcheon.